There are five types of tequila: silver, gold, reposado, anejo and extra anejo. Vodka is a clear distilled beverage comprised mostly of water and ethanol. Neat or chilled in the freezer, vodka tonic, screwdriver and vodka-based shots, such as a Lemon Drop. We want to know more about you and the products you love. Telling us about what you like will help us get you the best deals and access to new products. Skip to content. Bourbon This American whiskey variety is typically made from corn and barrel aged for a distinctive smoky, earthy flavor.
Assumed Popular ways to drink bourbon include: Neat alone , with water, on the rocks with ice or in a mixed cocktail, such as a Manhattan or Old-Fashioned. Popular ways to drink brandy include: Neat — you can also heat the Brandy over an open flame to enhance its flavor, or in a cocktail, such as a Metropolitan, Sidecar or a Champagne Cocktail.
Gin This grain-based alcohol has been around for more than years and receives its predominant flavor from juniper berries. Popular ways to drink gin include: Neat or on the rocks. Rum Rum comes in a wide range of light, gold, spiced and dark profiles. Popular ways to drink rum include: Dark rum is preferred over light for serving neat.
It is worth noting that we will look at each liquor type and recommend the best option available to beginners from each. There is a high variety of vodka on the market and for a beginner, it is very difficult to know where exactly to start.
The second hill to climb is knowing how to actually enjoy it — over ice, with a single mixer or in a cocktail of your choice. All three ways are perfectly fine but if you are a complete beginner to vodka we recommend drinking it with a single mixer and some ice or in a cocktail.
Drinking vodka on its own over ice is not recommended as vodka has a high alcohol content and it is a difficult place to start for beginners. The aim of trying vodka for the first time is to drink it slowly and to enjoy the drink. Vodka has a very distinct taste on its own and it can be described as having a harsh aftertaste.
As a beginner, take your first step by mixing it with lemonade or a mixer of your choice i. When we looked across the market at the many different brands of vodka we decided to list the vodka brands that produce smooth vodka, that is easy to drink and do not have a harsh after taste.
Smooth vodka makes the experience a lot more enjoyable and for this reason alone it makes it ideal for beginners. The second thing we looked at was the best method for a beginner to enjoy drinking vodka for the first time and it came down to enjoy it with a single mixer with ice or in a cocktail. There are arguments for both options and we deliberated over both but for a first-time vodka drinker, we recommend making a cocktail. A cocktail is the best option for a beginner to try vodka because a cocktail can be made to a low or moderate alcohol content by only pouring in as much or as little vodka as you wish.
A bartender will accommodate this by poring a half measure or you can simply make a half measure cocktail at home yourself. Of course, the same thing can be said about having vodka with a single mixer but the difference is a cocktail generally will be in a bigger glass giving you more volume in the glass for more ice and other ingredients to add more flavour to the drink.
There are various smooth tasting vodka brands available and they are all fantastic but we looked at each and had to decide on the vodka we recommend as the best option for a beginner. The variety available in the whiskey world can leave anyone a little overwhelmed especially someone who is a complete beginner to drinking whiskey. It can be very hard to understand where to start.
Whiskey can be enjoyed on its own aka — straight up with or without ice or it can be enjoyed with a single mixer or in a cocktail. For a total beginner to whiskey, we recommend enjoying it with a single mixer like ginger ale or club soda.
Whiskey is a strong drink with a high alcohol content so for a beginner, it is recommended you take your time and dilute it with a mixer and some ice. Below is a non-exhaustive list of whiskeys, the reason we have included the list is to showcase the variety and to outline the list we have worked through to establish the best whiskey for a beginner.
The Whiskey varieties are…. We reviewed each of the different whiskey variations and each of them in their own right are fantastic but the emphasis was on a whiskey that tastes great and was extremely smooth for a beginner to dip their taste buds.
We narrowed the field down and decided it would have to be an Irish whiskey as the best first choice option for a total beginner. The reason we narrowed the field down to an Irish whiskey is because of the fact Irish whiskeys are very smooth and we want the first experience for the beginner to be a pleasant experience.
We also wanted a whiskey full of flavours. This whiskey is very smooth, easy to drink and full of flavour — Ideal for a beginner trying whiskey for the very first time. Different botanicals are used across a wide range of gins but the most common botanical is the juniper berry, it is also the most dominant flavour and it is where the name gin derives its name from.
There are a number of different gins available on the market but for a total beginner to drinking gin the easiest place to start is with flavoured and unflavoured gin.
Gin has seen a massive increase in popularity over the past few years and through this popularity, there has been an increase in flavoured gins appearing on the shelves. The flavours range from orange to ginger and strawberry to blueberry. The list of flavours available opens the door to a wide range of taste buds as there is generally a flavour to suit everyone.
For a total beginner, the unflavoured version of gin which we recommend as the first place to start is a London dry gin. So when we look at narrowing the field of gin down to flavoured gin and unflavoured gin, what we are really saying is flavoured gin and London dry gin. For a total beginner to gin, it is worth noting that gin is not alcohol you would drink straight in a glass with ice, gin is generally enjoyed in a cocktail or with a single mixer and with garnish.
If you are completely new to drinking gin we recommend drinking gin in a cocktail or with a single mixer as gin cocktails and gin enjoyed with a single mixer are quite simply the best way to enjoy drinking gin. Unflavoured London dry gin is the gin of choice for cocktails and the gin of choice when making a drink with a single mixer. There is a wide range of cocktails that are made from London dry gin and there are so many mixers that compliment London dry gin ranging from Tonic water to ginger ale.
We looked at London dry gin and the flavoured versions of gin and had to decide which would be the best way for a beginner to enjoy a gin and after deliberating on this we feel the best recommendation is for a beginner to try a London dry gin with a single mixer as their first experience. As a beginner to gin, you will want to taste the gin to some degree and a London dry gin with a single mixer will give a beginner the chance to taste the gin flavours.
If you try gin in a cocktail as your first experience the gin flavour could be overpowered by the other flavours in the cocktail. This is the London Dry gin all other London dry gins look to as their benchmark. Quick note — If you plan on buying your first bottle of gin we have an article that provides an in-depth look at gins expiry dates when opened or left unopened in a bottle.
The drink of choice for Captain Jack Sparrow and the drink of choice for many. There are a number of different rum styles but for a beginner, the three main types of rum you should know for now are White Rum, Dark Rum and Spiced Rum. White Rum — This is the most common form of rum, it has a light vibrant colouring and is enjoyed in many cocktails like Pina Coladas and Mojitos.
Dark Rum — Dark rum is also a fan favourite and it gets its name dark rum for its colouring. Dark rums are… yes you guessed it — darker in colouring to white rum.
Spiced Rum — Spiced rums tend to be darker in colour and they have spices added to add additional flavouring to the rum. Rum is enjoyed as a drink with a single mixer or in a cocktail but it can also be enjoyed neat, over ice. For a beginner, we recommend trying rum for the first time as a drink with a single mixer or in a cocktail as drinking it neat may be a little strong.
For a total beginner, we looked at each of the rum choices and the best gin we recommend for a beginner would be a white rum. The reason we recommend white rum is because white rum is the foundation of all rum and it is most commonly used in cocktails. It is the best place to start for a total beginner.
After looking at the three main types of rum and narrowing the best beginner rum down to white rum, we then reviewed the best white rums available on the market for beginners.
It is no coincidence that bars all around the world stock this rum as a staple rum. This rum is ideal for beginners. As a total beginner to Tequila, you would be forgiven for thinking there is only one style of tequila but there are actually 5 variations of tequila available on the market. To establish the best tequila for beginners we reviewed each of the tequila styles and have listed them below. Silver — The first tequila style on our list is Silver tequila.
The reason it is called silver or Blanco or white tequila is because of its colouring. If you ever look at a bottle of tequila and the tequila looks clear or silver then you know you have a bottle of silver, Blanco or white tequila.
Joven — This tequila type is also known as gold, oro or dorado due to its appearance. Joven tequila is of a gold colour. Reposado — This tequila can only be called Reposado if it is aged in wooden casks from two months to a year. Anejo — In order for a tequila to be an Anejo tequila it needs to be aged for at least one year. Anejo means old and from this translation, Anejo can also be called aged tequila. Typically an amber colour tequila.
Extra Anejo — An extra Anejo Tequila is a tequila that has been aged for at least 3 years. Typically a dark coloured tequila. When reviewing the different types of tequila we established the one thing they all have in common is the taste.
Strain into a cocktail glass and garnish with a strawberry slice. Bourbon: Mint Julep Many might suggest a Manhattan for a first bourbon drink. But I think the bright chill of springtime captured in a Mint Julep is a better way to ease someone into bourbon. This is also from Good Spirits : Take one mint leaf and rub it over the inside of a metal julep cup if you have one or a highball glass. Be sure the mint touches each inch of the glasses inside. Drop the leaf in the glass when done.
Add about 5 of so mint leaves and 1 ounce simple syrup. Muddle the leaves and syrup. Fill the glass halfway with crushed or cracked ice.
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